In Hades (2013)

Dead Broke / Money Fire

You can have a lot of fun making up names for GSD, much along the lines that MDC has done over the years. Apparently it doesn't stand for anything in particular – although it used to; the band sold the rights to that name to some guy in Detroit according to their Facebook page. I'm going to label them as Goats Shoot Demons and say to Hell with the consequences. Regardless of what it stands for though, this New York trio have quite the mixed bag going on during In Hades, the band's sophomore album.

The album opens with "Bear Faced Killer," a song with guitar riffage reminiscent of Avail, not to mention some of the vocals which are not too far away from those of Tim Barry. However, there are more than enough twists and turns away from that Southern hardcore sound to ensure more than a straightforward exercise aping one of Richmond, VA's finest bands. Across the remainder of In Hades, GSD continue with that fairly inconsistent sonic approach; it ranges from soaring melodic rock on "The Ghost of Spider Culhane" and "You Can't Put Your Arms Around An Acid Flashback" to deranged rock on "Love Is Something Like A War," all the way through to the sheer musical and lyrical brilliance of "Silence", which is the best track on the album by some way.

I've certainly got a soft spot for a band that mix things up a bit, and GSD remind me a bit of Wretch Like Me in their ability to take a few steps off what might be a perceived path. In addition, both bands work(ed) with an abrasive edge but with clear elements of melody, too. GSD = Good Stuff Definitely.